08 July 2009

To the Market on Via's Magic Carpet

How many forms of transport have you experienced? Although I have never found a real magic carpet or flying horse, there are virtual versions in this blog, as well as a few introductions to various other interesting forms of transportation.

In Pakistan, in 1985, I enjoyed seeing the brightly coloured buses, trucks and auto-rickshaws. I especially enjoyed experiencing a few journeys in the latter in Quetta and Lahore. The owners certainly took pride in the appearance of their vehicles.

The little vehicle is called a variety of names throughout Asia, tuk-tuk being quite common, though I call it a toot toot. Tuk-tuks are often incredibly noisy things. I found that even "proper" taxis can be noisy throughout the Middle East and Central Asia because the driver's hand is often on the horn. Do you know if road manners have improved in your country over the years?

The One Thousand and One Nights of my Asian journeys have been matched by days in cycle rickshaws, on a camel, an elephant, bicycles, an old London double decker bus, trains, coaches, ferries, trams, horse drawn carriages and carts, dug out canoes, and many journeys on foot. I have always written about my experience as real accounts rather than imaginary stories, although some imaginary stories have probably inspired my desire to travel.